What We Think About When We Try Not To Think About Global Warmingby Espen Stoknes
Photo Credit: Stoknesdotcom

Toward a New Psychology of Climate Action

We need…stories that tell us that nature is resilient and can rebound…, if we give it a chance to do so. We need stories that tell us that we can collaborate with nature… We need stories about a new kind of happiness not based on material consumption.~ Espen Stoknes in Interview with Richard Schiffman, Yale Environment 360, August 20, 2015.

Perhaps in the short-run. But even the Big Corporations should be motivated to be part of devising more holistic business and economic strategies, if they are interested in the long-term survival of their business (and, of course, the planet in which their business operates). At least, you would think.

“The major losers in reducing our material consumption would be the corporations that depend upon continual growth for increased profits.” While I share your antipathy for the greed of large corporations, we do have an economy based on goods and services. It is true that consumption has a weak relationship to life satisfaction. But, reduce our consummatory behavior without changing to a different economic model will leave the economy of the world in a shambles. Wish I had a handy solution for this. A provocative post, Rosaliene.

Changing to a different economic model will NOT leave the world economy in shambles.

Just modify the present model to accommodate the changes neccessary.
Capitalism was successful now capitalism is “past its sell by date” “not fit for purpose” defunct.
USA living proof ….China struggling to cope with it.

Until corporations are vigorously regulated by direct taxation on their profits
nothing will happen.
Most corporations base their HQ in tax havens to avoid/evade national taxes.
Money laundering.
Profits made off consumers returned to consumers by direct taxation on their
operations there. Taxation the mass distribution of wealth.
Sweden one of the wealthiest countries on the planet
with the highest direct and indirect forms of taxation.
Income tax vat and corporate tax.

Employing clever lawyers and paying them large sums of money as per USA
does not help. Zero tolerance on taxation vigorously regulated and enforced….the way forward.

Capitalism is like a shark which requires constant motion to breathe, it requires constant cash flow to maintain profits. Initially there were benefits from Capitalism – useful products, infrastructure construction, jobs and wealth. However we have reached saturation, we have built all the infrastructures we require – railways, highways, airports, power stations; and have accumulated all the wealth we need. Wealth is now migrating to the 1% who control the economy. To keep the money flowing Capitalists have devised many ways to keep us demanding goods and services and to keep us spending. We have built-in obsolescence, annual upgrades, the latest fashion, made to break discardable products, Mothers’ Day, Fathers’ Day, Black Friday, Christmas, Boxing Day. New Years, etc. Manufacturers do not consider the pollution of the land, water and air their products cause or the disposal problems of the products at the end of life.

Rosie
Chickens are coming home……Google was kicked out of China for whatever reasons…
Google is now being “investigated” by UK tax enforcers for “money laundering”…
They foolishly agreed to settle with a one off payment of £130M of back taxes.
Its is public knowledge now that they pay 2.5% tax only 2015 in UK while UK
companies and individuals pay 10 times that…..now all corporations operating in
UK and EU will be under scrutiny for tax avoidance/evasion.
Will the CEO and executives be jailed for this. We shall soon find out.
The nail in the coffin of “capitalist” USA. China take note.
Chickens are coming home.